January 24, 2018
Mohammed Rashid ’20, right, plays soccer as an undergraduate at Williams College. At MCLA, he’s preparing to compete in the corporate world.
Mohammed Rashid ’20 graduated from Williams College last June with a degree in economics,
but he was back in the classroom just a few months later to earn his Master of Business
Administration (MBA) degree at MCLA.
“I majored in economics because I knew early on that I wanted to pursue a career in business or corporate management,” Rashid explained. He anticipates this field will provide an array of job opportunities in the corporate world. Once he completes his MBA, he plans to pursue a career in corporate management, and perhaps work as a business analyst or a marketing analyst.
“Ultimately, I want to own a business in the future, but only after working for some number of years, and gaining a working knowledge in business,” Rashid said.
In addition to his desire to continue learning, “I chose to attend graduate school at MCLA because, through my research, I learned that the MBA program was excellent, intense, but very manageable. Additionally, the cost is much more affordable, compared with some of the other schools out there.”
He also likes that fact that the College’s MBA curriculum is designed as a part-time program: “Classes meet every other Saturday, which fits perfectly with my schedule. The cohort model of the program is a good thing, too. Students learn and progress through the curriculum with their colleagues. This allows them to collaborate and share their learning experiences.”
Rashid’s educational journey began in Ghana, where he grew up in a very poor neighborhood in the northern regional capital city of Tamale. There, Rashid’s father was a civil servant and his mother stayed home to care for his brother and five sisters. He explained, “My family’s financial dynamics rested solely on my father. We managed with the little we had.”
At age 11, Rashid was offered a scholarship to the prestigious Right to Dream Academy in Accra, Ghana. The school was designed to help underprivileged kids fulfill their potential through intense soccer training and education.
“The program gave me opportunities that I could never have otherwise dreamt about,” Rashid said. Four years later, he was offered a full scholarship to The Hotchkiss School, a private boarding school in Lakeville, Conn. When it came time to select a college to attend, “I decided on a liberal arts education because of the freedom it gave me to engage in many diverse learning opportunities.”
Although he has been back to his home in Ghana several times since he left to further his education at Hotchkiss, his entire family remains in Ghana.
According to Rashid, “My experience with MCLA’s MBA program has been great. The professors are very resourceful and accommodating. I am growing as a student and gaining a unique working knowledge of the ever-changing global business models and strategies. I would definitely recommend the program to others, specifically working professionals, who are interested in getting an MBA, but can’t seem to find a program that fits perfectly with their schedule.”
